Prelude to a Witch, Amanda Lee [ebook reader web txt] 📗

“You’re a big softie.” Landon’s grin was wide. “Picturing you rolling over and showing your soft underbelly to three little witches and their crazy great-aunt makes me warm and cuddly all over.”

Chief Terry murdered him with a look. “Keep it up. I’ll throw you in jail if you’re not careful.”

“On what charges?”

“I’ll make something up.” Chief Terry’s eyes sobered when they connected with mine. “I knew you girls were up to no good even then. It was my choice to let you go. Don’t feel guilty.”

He made me laugh. “I don’t feel guilty ... and it was definitely wine she buried. She made a killing on the stuff she sold near your blind.”

“I’ve always loved her entrepreneurial spirit,” he said dryly.

“We’ve gone off on a tangent,” I noted. “I’m just saying there’s no way those girls dug graves.”

“I have to agree with Bay,” Chief Terry said. “Everything would have to line up perfectly for them to carry that out. Someone would’ve seen them removing bodies from the Gilmore house.”

Landon didn’t appear bothered to have his pet theory shot down. “Then what happened? If the girls didn’t do it, are they free and clear of this?”

“They can’t be,” I answered. “Not entirely. Their relationship with Paisley puts them in the thick of this.”

“Do we assume that Amelia is the only one who remembers?” Chief Terry asked. “Is it possible the others do?”

“Amelia pretty much came out and said that Sophia and Emma don’t remember. I’m guessing that makes her frustrated.”

“Emma and Sophia are acting out of sorts,” I said. “They’re flat and uninterested in life. I did that to them. Amelia is pretending to act the same way, but she’s slipped. Twenty minutes ago, she didn’t even pretend to be removed from it all.”

“Not even a little,” Landon agreed. “She was angry. We asked her about watching when the shades attacked and she admitted to following us. She denied being in cahoots with the shades.”

“Cahoots?” I smirked at Landon’s shrug. “Yeah, the 1920s called. They want their word back.”

He pinned my feet between his under the table. “You know what I mean.”

“Do you believe her about the shades?” Chief Terry asked.

“I do,” I said. “She saw we were under magical attack yesterday. I don’t think she saw the shades. Knowing we have a magical enemy trying to take us out has emboldened her.”

“To what end?”

“She wants revenge.” I looked at Landon for confirmation. “She believes we took something from her.”

“Technically we did,” Landon pointed out. “Three weeks ago, she was magical and had a plan that she thought would deliver everything she wanted. She can’t see past her needs and wants.”

“You think she’s hoping to join forces with whoever controls the shades,” Chief Terry mused. “I guess that makes sense.”

“I’m betting she will go home and research shades,” I said. “She wasn’t raised to be magical. Everything those girls managed to pull off came from instinct, books and the internet. She likely realizes she can’t wield magic as long as I’m alive. I am responsible for binding her powers.”

Landon frowned. “Wait ... .”

“I’m not afraid of a teenager,” I reassured him.

“You should be,” he snapped. “Teenagers are irrational creatures. In fact, when we have kids of our own, I’m going to request we never have a teenager.”

I blinked several times in rapid succession. “So when we have a daughter she’s going to jump from twelve to twenty overnight?”

“No. She’s going to stick at a cute age forever. I’ll pick the age when I find one I like.”

I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing.

“I’m serious,” he insisted. “You’re a witch. You can figure out how to freeze our kid at a cute age.”

“You realize if we have a seven-year-old forever we’ll never be alone again.”

His eyes went wide. “Oh.”

Chief Terry chuckled. “Let’s worry about your magical offspring later. We need to focus on the demon teenager glaring holes into us. Landon is right. She’s wily enough to have called Steve. We need to be prepared.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “I still think it’s more likely that Brian called. He believes Landon messed with his business prospects. He wants nothing more than to hurt Landon. Brian thinks Landon is his adversary. He thinks I’m Landon’s pawn.”

Landon held my gaze for a long beat. “You’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

“Kelly thinks I stole that newspaper to set you up to make money for me.” Landon rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. “He’s convinced I set this all up.”

“You have to be ready in case Steve asks you about marrying a witch.” Something awful occurred to me. “You might have to distance yourself from me to protect your job.”

Landon jabbed a warning finger in my direction. “Don’t say things like that. I won’t do that.”

“But if Steve thinks there’s something hinky going on ... .” I trailed off, dark possibilities pushing to the forefront of my brain.

“There’s nothing Kelly can do to force me away from you.”

“He could tell your boss tall tales and force an investigation.”

“Do you really think Steve is going to drive here to demand I break up with you because Kelly told him some wild tale about Aunt Tillie cursing his penis to turn green and break out in sores?”

“Stranger things have happened.”

“No, they haven’t.” He looked momentarily frustrated and then softened his expression. “Bay, why would he call Hannah into a meeting about my future marriage?”

Reality smacked me in the face. Hard. “Oh.”

He shot me a knowing look. “Odds are this has something to do with the case.”

“I’m with Landon,” Chief Terry said. “It has to do with the case. But if Steve wants answers on those runes, we have nothing to give him.”

“Then we’ll tell him that,” Landon said. “We’ll tell him where we are and go from there.”

Chief Terry looked at me. “You can’t come to the meeting.”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure I figured out that Landon can’t take his fiancée to a meeting with